Threat scrawled on desk chair found in Hyer Hall

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Threat scrawled on desk chair found in Hyer Hall

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Threat scrawled on desk chair found in Hyer Hall

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By: Mark Norris, Editor In Chief, mnorris@smu.edu
Posted: 4/25/07
A message scrawled on the back of a desk chair by an unknown person has prompted an investigation by SMU Police. The note says "I&#39;m going to shoot up SMU on 8-06-07."

The message was discovered Monday but was not reported to SMU Police until Tuesday morning. Authorities promptly responded, said Interim Police Chief Richard Shafer.

"We have no leads and don&#39;t know who did it or why," Shafer said.

The threat was discovered in Room 111 of Hyer Hall some time Monday. The professor of the class that meets there at that time reported the message to SMU Police. The message was written in pencil and still "looks fairly fresh," according to police.

Shafer said the date of the threat is odd since classes are not in session at the time. The Summer II session is completed by then and the 2007-2008 school year has not begun yet.

Police are looking at what classes meet in the room to determine if any names of interest appear on the class rosters.

Shafer said the person who wrote the message probably has a warped sense of humor.

"We don&#39;t think it&#39;s a viable or credible threat, but you never know," he said. The police investigation into the matter is still ongoing.

This is the first threat made at the SMU community after the shootings at Virginia Tech.

"Three weeks ago they probably wouldn&#39;t have thought about it," Shafer said. He said the police department is glad that the professor and students took the time to report the threat. He encouraged members of the SMU community to report anything they believe is suspicious.

"Give us a call and someone will look into it," Shafer said.

This story is exclusive to &#39;The Daily Campus.&#39; Mention of this story by other media organizations must credit the paper.